Vehicle safe



W. EHRLICH.

VEHICLE SA FE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.23. I9I9.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented May 16, 1922.

I I I Ga ,17zve7Z @MLA "5 7 M I la W W. EHRLICH.

VEHICLE SAFE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.23, 1919.

1A1 6,1?9. Patented May 16, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 7 Eve/(72?? @zfizeaa WELIAM EERLICH. OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VEHICLE SAFE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 23, 1919. Serial No. 319,405.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM EHRLIoH, a-

citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Vehicle Safes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to vehicle safes, and has for its object the provision of a, safe which can be rigidly secured to a vehicle and have means whereby authorized persons can remove the money from said safe without disturbing the latter, or without disturbing the'part of the latter which is secured to the vehicle.

A further object is the provision of simple and efficient locking means for safes of the character mentioned.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The embodiments of my invention are shown in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a safe embodying my invention,

Figs. 2 and 3 are sections taken on lines 2.2 and 3'3, respectively, in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4' is a vertical section of a modified form of safe with the door removed,

Fig. 5 is aside view of the door,

Fig. 6 is a View taken as looking from line 66 in Fig. 4, I

Fig. 7 is a front view of the door.

In Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, I have indicated a safe of substantially tubular construction. In Fig. 1, the safe walls or casing are made up of a pipe 12 with caps 13. and 14 threaded thereon. The cap 14 is cut away in its central portion providing a door opening 15 having radial slots 16 at its edge, see particularly Fig. 6. In Fig. 1 the pipe part 12 is provided with a money-receiving opening 17 in its upper portion, as indicated, but,

this money-receiving opening may be provided in any other part of the device desired. On the inside of pipe 12 are springs 18 secured as at 19 to the pipe and bent ina manner to engage and position a money.

holding vessel 20 in a similar part of the pipe 12 and over the opening 15. The vessel 20 is of a size to pass through said opening 15. At the top of vessel 20 is a funnelshaped member 21 resting .on the upper ends of the springs 18 and is adapted to guide money from the slot 17 into the top of vessel 20.

In the opening 15 is fitted a door 22. The door 22 preferably has an extension 23 on its inner side with projections 24 on said extension. The projections 24 are of a size to substantially fit the recesses 16 and upon rotation of the door 22, the projections 24 engage the edges of the cap 14 between the recesses 16 to lock the door against removal.

One of the recesses 16 is provided with a recess 25 which permits the passage of a small pin 26 in the extension 23, the arrangement being such that the door 22 can only be placed in the opening 15 when brought in position for the pin 26 to engage the recess 25. Also between one of the projections 24 and the door 22 at the side of extension 23 is a lug 27 which prevents rotating the door 22 in one direction when inserted in the opening 15. One of the radial slots 16 is enlarged as at 28, see Figs. 3 and 6. This slot 16 is made larger than the other slots to re- 4 29 which stands tangent to a circle within said cap, as clearly indicated in Fig. 3. Pivotally mounted on the extension 23 is an angular lever 30 pivoted as at 31 and having one arm adapted to engage the pin 29 to prevent rotation of the door 22 and hold the latter in its locking position. The other arm of'the angular lever is disposed adjacent a tumbler lock 33 which has an arm 34 thereon adapted to be rotated by a key, not shown, to unlock the lever 30 on its pivotal point to free the latter from pin 29 so that the door can be rotated to position for opening. Rotary movement by the key moving the arm 34 against the angular lever 30 engages one end against 'a pin 35 so that continued movement of the key in this direction rotates the door around until the projections 24 will register with the recesses 16 and the door fall by-gravity out of opening 15. In looking the lock, it is simply necessary to bring the door to a position where pin 26 will register with recess 25 and press the door up until it stops against the,end of cap 14 and then rotate in the only direction in which it can be rotated, namely with lever 30 toward pin 29 until the lever passes over the end of said Patented May 16,1922.-

pin into the position shown in Fig. 3 where the door is locked.

A plate 36 may be provided over the looking mechanism so as to prevent articles gettin into the locking mechanism and provi e a support forthe money-holding vessel 20. The vessel 20 is preferably provided with a foot member 37 having resilient buffers 38 at its bottom which rest on the plate 36 to prevent the parts making noise when in use on a vehicle.

It will be noted that the outer side 39 of the tumbler lock 33 is conical in shape. This prevents placing a wrench, not shown, on the outer end of said lock 33 to remove the latter from the door by unauthorized persons. y

In Fig. 4 a casing is shown as being made of a single piece of material in tubular form as at 40, the lower end of the casing 40 having the same kind of opening as indicated in Fig. 1 and using the same form of door. In Fig. 4 it will be noted that the springs 18 are dispensed with and it is intended to show that the springs may be used or dispensed with, as desired.

I have indicated openings 62 in casing 40 in Fig. 4, in the casingand caps in Fig. 1, for securing the devices to a vehicle frame but it will be understood that the devices may be secured in any desirable manner.

In Fig. 4: I have indicated a flange 40' which is adapted to cover the crack between the side 22 of the door and the shoulder part 4:0 which forms part of the locking means and has the recesses 16 therein. This flange 40 is a safeguard against unauthorized persons driving a wedge member between the door and casing to force the lock. It will be understood that this flange may be used in connection with the form shown in Fig. 1 when so desired.

I claim:

1. A vehicle safe comprising a casing having a circular door opening in one end with spaced projections around said door opening; a door in said door opening and having rigid projections thereon disposed behind the projections around said door opening and adapted to pass between -the latter projections upon limited rotary movement of the door; a pin on the door adapted to cooperate with a part of the casing for guiding the door into the door opening in a predetermined relation with the latter, apin in the'casing, and a spring-pressed aim piv: oted on the door and adapted to engage the last mentioned pin to lock the door against being opened.

2. A vehicle safe comprising a casing having a circular door opening in one end with spaced projections around said door opening; a door in said door opening and having rigid projections thereon disposed behind the projections around said door opening and adapted to pass between the latter projections upon limited rotary movement of the door; a recess and pin mechanism for guiding the door into the door opening in a predetermined relation with the casing; a pin in the casing; a springpressed arm pivoted on the door and adapted to engage the last mentioned pin to lock the door against being opened; and a key operable means associated with said springpressed arm for moving the latter out of engagement with said pin.

3. A safe comprising a casing adapted for attachment to a vehicle and having a substantially circular opening with radial recesses at the edge of said opening; a door having a circular extension with radial projections thereon adapted to pass through said circular opening and recesses and rotate to a position with said projections engaging parts of the casing between said recesses for holding the door against movement out of said opening; means for guiding the door into said door opening in a single relation to the casing, a lug holding the door from rotary movement in one direction; a spring-pressed member pivoted on and holding the door against rotary movement in the other direction; and keyoperable means for moving the springplressed member out of engagement with the oor.

4. A safe comprising a casing adapted for attachment to a vehicle and having a substantially circular opening with radial recesses at the edge of said opening; a door having a circular extension with radial projections in rigid relation with the door thereon adapted to pass through said opening and recesses; means associated with the door and easing permitting said extension to enter said opening in but one relation of the door and casing; means on the extension for holding the latter against rotation in one direction in said opening; and looking means locking the door against rotation in the other direction.

5. A vehicle safe comprising a casing adapted for attachment to a vehicle and having a substantially circular opening with radial recesses at the edge of said opening;

a door having an extension on its rear side with radial projections on the extension adapted to pass through said circular opening and recesses and rotate into position with the projections behind parts of the casing between said recesses for locking the door against movement out of the opening; a lug on one of said projections adapted to be engaged by a portion of the casing between two of said recesses for locking the door in one direction of its rotary movement; a spring-pressed member pivoted in said door; and a stop in said casing adapted to be engaged by said spring-pressed direction of rotary movement.

6. A vehicle safe comprising a casing having a door opening with recesses in the edge of said door opening, one of said recesses having a small recess therein; a door having an extension on its rear side with projections on said extension adapted to pass through said recesses and look behind portions of the casing between said recesses for holding the door against movement out of the door opening a pin on one of said projections adapted to pass through said small recess to permit the door to pass into the door opening; a spring-pressed locking member pivoted to the door; and a stop in the casing adapted to be engaged by the springpressed member for locking the door in one direction of its rotary movement.

7. A vehicle safe comprising a casing having a door opening with a recess in its edge and, a small recess in one side of the first-mentioned recess; a door having an extension on its rear side with a projection on said extension adapted to pass through the first-mentioned recess and engage a portion of the casing to hold the door against movement out of said door opening; a pin on said projection adapted to engage said small recess topermit the door to pass into saiddoor opening in but one relation to the casing; a. lug between said projection and door adapted to engage the casing at one side of said recess for limiting the movement of the door in one direction of its rotary movement; a stop in said casing; and a spring-pressed locking member adapted to engage said stop-and lock said door in its other direction of rotary movement.

8. A safe comprising a casing adapted for attachment to a vehicle and having a circular door opening; a circular door in said opening; a bayonet-j oint connection between the door and easing; a lock locking the door in the casing; and key-operable means for unlocking the door, the key-operable means upon continued movement in the unlocking direction being adapted to rotate the door loosening the bayonet-joint connection for facilitating the opening of the door.

9. A safe comprising a casing adapted for attachment to a vehicle and having a door opening therein with recesses in the edge of said door opening; a door in said door opening with looking projections engaging the casing and adapted upon movement of the door to pass out through said recesses when the door is opened; a stop in said casing; a spring-pressed member engaging said stop and locking the door in said door opening; and a key operable means engaging said spring-pressed member and adapted to move.

toward the latter, the first part of the movement of said key operable means toward said spring-pressed member being adapted to disengage the latter from the stop and the continued movement of said key operable means being adapted to move the door to position for movement out of said door opening.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification on this 18th day of August, A. D. 1919.

: WILLIAM EHRLICH. 

